5 reasons why you must see Chance The Rapper

In the fall of 2013, University Union arguably booked the best show to touch the campus of Syracuse University. Riding off of the illustrious Acid Rap, Chance the Rapper became the fastest selling Bandersnatch show ever and the word is that it was nothing short of extraordinary. Bandersnatch shows are almost always held in Schine Underground so with a performer like Chance, the intimacy was prominent because no one connects with his fans like Chance does when he’s on stage. Coming off of a sold out Family Matters tour across the U.S., he is certainly well seasoned because by the time I saw him in NYC back in October, I couldn’t believe the amazement I was witnessing. In fact, amazement is an understatement…still remaining an independent artist, the only direction has been up from Bandersnatch.

His discography is insane

It’s crazy to think how iconic Chance the Rapper is when he’s only 3 projects deep. Let’s start with 10 Day, dropped back in April of 2012. After getting suspended from school for possession of marijuana, Chance decided to spend his 10 day suspension by creating a mixtape of magic focusing on his life, his high school, and how disconnected he was from all of the basic people around him. A year later he dropped Acid Rap, one of the best hip-hop mixtapes of all time. No need to comment on that, if you’re a fan of Chance, that’s most likely where it came from. And lastly, highlighting his band and hometown friends The Sox, he dropped his free debut album Surf, which presented a musicality that no other new school artists has exhibited. From 3 projects and over 30 bodying guest verses, you simply cannot deny the progressive thrill of Chancellor Bennett.

Chicago’s best

Although I’m from Atlanta, I can’t even act like Chicago doesn’t have the best music scene right now. I mean yes, we can’t count out other distinguished demographics but no one will leave you in “aw” like a Chicago rapper. There are two very different sides of Chicago; the street side and the trippy side. Now Chance would be placed on the trippy side but when looking at the two groups together, Chance is the ace. There’s no one holding it down for his city like he is and being completely honest, he’s a big part of why us as listeners are so focused on this new Chicago movement. There’s no one who does it like Chance in Chicago, much less in the entire U.S.

Don’t try to predict Chance, it doesn’t work

You never know what Chance is going to put on a track. Yes, he’s a rapper but he sings and dances just as much as he raps. As stated earlier, he’s an insane performer but musically, every song varies so much. He can come at you spitting some meaningful content in a track like “Fight or Flight” by G Herbo. He can spit that trippy alternate mentality in a track like “Juice” or even sing to you with some gospel in a track like “Ultralight Beam” by Kanye. His set flows in a direction that not even I can predict after seeing him. He’ll mess around and drop a song from 10 Day, to Surf, to his verse on Lil Wayne’s Dedication 5, and back to his SAVEMONEY days with Vic Mensa and Towkio Shawn. Musically he can appeal to anyone and any style and the fact that he’s unpredictable makes it that much better.

It’s all love with Chance

Chance is one of the more genuine artists in the game right now. I mean they all say their doing it for us but with Chance, you simply cannot deny that fact. How could you? He gave us a free debut album and stated that he’ll continue to release his music for free. In fact, I bet you can’t show me a song by Chance that you paid for, so you know it’s real. It’s especially moving when an artist returns to Syracuse University because due to wise booking, we always seem to catch them right in the middle of their start and their peak. Everyone comes back and praises the school as they reminisce on the first show and I’m certain we’ll hear a lot of this at Block Party, probably just as much from Chance as we’ll hear from SU’s own The Chainsmokers. This is a night for family vibes and unity and we’re happy to let Chance take the lead.